Thee Unto Me
by Mavennica
Summary: Artie falls under the effect of an artifact, and Claudia pays the price. Not for the faint of heart. In the same universe as "How Was the Play?" and "What I Wouldn't Give." Please R&R! :
1. Chapter 1

Artie and Claudia walked down a seldom-traveled aisle of the Warehouse, doing inventory on obscure artifacts. Artie was droning on, lecturing, and Claudia was walking behind him, bored.

Artie stopped dead in his tracks, causing Claudia to run into him. "Ooof! Jeez, Artie, what gives?" she asked, bracing her hand on a shelf to keep from falling. "You had at least another twenty minutes of talking left."

Shooting her a scowl, he checked his inventory manifest and said, "These artifacts have been moved." He pointed to a black curled-up whip and a set of leather cuffs. "Those belong in aisle seven." Artie sighed, putting on a second pair of purple gloves. "I hate it when the Warehouse moves things."

Claudia leaned in for a closer look. "Whips and chains, eh? Kinky." She looked back at Artie with a wicked grin and raised one eyebrow, making Artie glare at her. She was about to say something else when the whip darted in her direction. Claudia jumped back and bumped into Artie again.

He gave her a grim smile. "Those are very dangerous 'whips and chains,' Claudia. They belonged to the Marquis de Sade."

Claudia's eyes widened and she went pale. "Are you serious?" She stepped behind Artie, unconsciously putting him between her and the artifacts, her hands shaking slightly as a stab of fear went through her. "Those belonged to the Marquis?" she asked in a small voice.

Artie nodded as she moved behind him. "Stay back a bit. You're having a reaction to the artifact's aura and provoking it," he said as he opened a neutralizer bag. "I'm not surprised; these items aren't female-friendly."

Claudia took a deep breath and released it slowly. When her shaking stopped, she asked, "Hey, um, Artie, are two layers of gloves gonna be enough? I could go get you some tongs or a gallon of goo or something."

Artie shook his head and chuckled. "No, I should be fine." He picked up the whip and coiled it tightly so it would fit neatly into the neutralizer bag. "The whip jumped at you, but it doesn't seem to be too riled up by me."

Artie spoke too soon; as he went to drop the whip in the bag, the end snaked out and wrapped itself around his bare forearm, biting into his skin. He hissed in pain and fell against the shelf, gasping. Claudia jumped away when Artie threw his head back and roared, sounding terrified and triumphant. He tilted his head up and tore off his purple gloves.

Claudia went to stop him, but she froze when she saw Artie's face. His crooked smile was wild, and he had madness in his eyes. He leaped to his feet and reached for Claudia. She tried to dodge his grip, but Artie caught a handful of hair at the back of her head and jerked her to him, growling deep in his throat when she cried out in pain.

Claudia turned on him, trying to kick Artie's legs out from under him, but he danced aside, avoiding her feet. He pulled her close to him and hissed in her ear, "Struggle all you want, flame-haired wench. Nothing will stop my whip from tearing your flesh."

Claudia gathered her strength and rammed her elbow back into Artie's solar plexus as hard as she could, knocking the wind out of him and freeing his grip on her hair. Artie doubled over and fell to his knees, a groan escaping his lips. Claudia whirled around to make sure she hadn't really hurt him, but Artie was already getting up. His face was a mask of shifting agony, one second screaming, one second laughing, one second grimacing in anguish. Artie stepped towards her, stumbling from the inner struggle, and when he looked up at her, he used his last ounce of willpower to gasp, "Claudia, run."

Leena puttered around the B&B, dusting this, straightening that. She cast an eye on the dining room table, making sure everything was as it should be. She closed her eyes and reached forward with her mind, casting a vision on the table of who would be sitting there next. She saw Pete coming in with a class of milk. "I'm going to spill it," the ghostly Pete in her vision said, so Leena got out a coaster and a stack of napkins and set them next to where Pete would be in a few minutes. Leena extended her vision a bit further and saw Myka sitting down at the head of the table with her laptop and knock off a knife. "It will stab me in the foot," the ghostly Myka said, so Leena cleared away the silverware to make room.

Leena pushed her vision even further to see what Artie would need, and she was startled to see him sitting in the Warehouse office with his head in his hands, his body wracked by great heaving sobs of guilt. She walked into her vision to sit beside Artie.

"Artie, what's wrong?"

Artie looked at her and held out his hands for her to see. "I going to kill her, Leena. With these hands," he said, palms up, "I'm going to kill her. Then, once I've realized what I've done, I'm going to kill myself."

Leena snapped herself out of her vision. She gathered a spare Tesla and her keys, and at the last moment, she felt the urge to grab a small box sitting on one of the side shelves in the dining room. She ran to her car and drove as fast as possible to the Warehouse, praying to whomever would listen that she would be there in time.


	2. Chapter 2

Claudia ran to find the nearest neutralizer station. If she could hit Artie with enough goo in time, she could disengage the whip and move it to the Dark Vault. _I'll bury that thing so deep it'll never see the light of day_, thought Claudia, wracking her brains to remember just where the nearest station was. They had been doing inventory in an older section of the Warehouse, so she was only vaguely familiar with the layout.

A single word floated through the Warehouse, Artie's voice coming at her from every direction. "Claudia..."

She whirled around, her eyes darting back and forth. _Artie knows the layout of this entire place_, thought Claudia, shaking as adrenaline began coursing through her veins. _He could be anywhere_.

"Claudia..."

Claudia crouched down, forming a plan of action. His voice had been much closer that time, so she could tell what direction he was coming from. She slithered in between two plants behind her and came out the other side, hoping to throw Artie off at least a little bit by not walking in an aisle. Claudia jumped four more rows this way, breathing a sigh of relief when her intuition or blind luck finally led her to a part of the Warehouse she was familiar with.

"Claudia..."

She jumped, Artie's voice sounding much nearer now. Her adrenaline surged once more, and the layout of this section of the Warehouse snapped open in her mind, her memory creating a map of all the neutralizing stations. Claudia ran for the nearest one, a vicious smile on her face. "Artie is so getting hosed for this."

She never made it. Artie jumped out in front of her just as she was almost to the station. Claudia tried to stop and change direction, but time had slowed down, making the air thick and her limbs heavy as lead. She watched with a curious detachment as she fell into Artie's outstretched arms, the wind knocked out of her by her forward momentum. Artie wrapped the whip around her neck and tightened it, cutting off her air, until she fell to the ground at his feet. "You led me a merry chase, woman, but now you are mine."

He bent down, and the last thing Claudia heard before blacking out was Artie's voice in her ear, soft and dripping with venom and lust. "And I have grown so weary of whipping only horses."

Leena raced down the road, the Warehouse seeming farther away every second she drove closer to it. She opened her mind, spitting her awareness between the road in front of her and the vision of Artie weeping. "I'm going to kill her, Leena," he moaned, looking down at his lap. "With these hands, I'm going to take her life." He drew in a shaky breath. "And then I'm going to take my own."

"Artie, stop it. You aren't going to kill Claudia." She went deeper into her vision, still keeping an eye on the road. She sat beside Artie and put a hand on his shoulder. "You have to tell me what happened so I can fix it."

He turned to Leena, his gaze broken and sad. "I made a mistake. I was careless and stepped into an artifact." Artie looked away, his gray whiskers trembling. "I was too interested in showing Claudia how smart I was." He ran a tired hand through his salt and pepper curls and turned back to Leena. "I remember now. It was the Marquis de Sade's whip and leather cuffs."

Leena gasped. "Oh, Artie..."

"Leena, listen to me. When you get to the Warehouse, you have to shoot me with the Tesla twice." Artie put his hands up to shush Leena's objection. "The more times I lash Claudia," he winced at the thought, "the more of her life force I take into myself. One shot may not be enough."

Leena shook her head. "Artie, two shots might end up killing you. There has to be another way."

Artie grabbed Leena's arms and shook her. "No! You have to shoot me twice!" When Leena opened her mouth to protest, Artie glared at her intently. "Leena, please. Claudia has her whole life ahead of her. I've already lived mine."

Leena pulled out of her vision, shaking her head as Artie faded away. _I can save them both_, she thought, increasing her speed as the Warehouse loomed over the horizon. _I can save them both_.


	3. Chapter 3

Claudia woke slowly, coming up from unconsciousness in fuzzy stages. She first felt that her throat hurt. She tried clearing it but gasped when pain shot through her neck. The pain in her throat cascaded down her chest and out to her arms, and Claudia realized that her arms were spread out above her, a leather cuff on each wrist. She became aware that she was leaning forward slightly so that her weight rested on a pillow below her chest, and she was standing on the balls of her feet. When she tried to stand upright, Claudia felt a leather strap that had been tied around her waist, holding her in place against the pillow. Struggling against the cuffs that held her arms out, she tried to call out for help, but all that came out was a whimper. A strip of silk had been tied around her face, gagging her. Fear rose up from the pit of her stomach, and she flailed wildly, trying to free herself from the straps that bound her, but the more she struggled, the tighter the cuffs on her wrist got, so after a few minutes of useless fighting, she slumped out of breath against the pillow. Forcing herself to be calm, she took stock of her surroundings. She was upstairs in Artie's office, and the cuffs were attached to a pipe on the ceiling. She had on a short loose skirt, but her panties, shirt and bra were gone, and she was barefoot. Experimentally, she tried working her left wrist to free herself from the leather cuff, but the more she worked the tighter the cuff got, and she had to stop when her fingers began tingling from lack of circulation. The cuff loosened slightly, and Claudia flexed her hand when she felt her fingers return to normal.

She was still trying to work out her means of escape when she heard a soft footstep behind her. Claudia froze, not knowing who was in the room with her. She tried calling out for Artie, but she only produced a soft muffle around her gag. She gasped when she felt a rough hand on her shoulder, and the cuffs tightened when she instinctively pulled away, drawing a yelp of pain.

"Oh, my pet," Artie softly whispered in Claudia's right ear, making her shudder. "Why do you tremble so?" He gently trailed a finger down her outstretched arm. "Are you afraid, darling?" Claudia didn't move. Artie raised his hand and brandished the whip, a black piece of sleek braided leather. He trailed the handle gently down her arms and across her chest, the whip gleaming slightly. When he gently brushed the side of her face with the whip, Artie chuckled softly as Claudia pulled away in fear. He reached back and grabbed a handful of her hair again, tilting her head up so she would have to face him. "Are you afraid now, my dearest?"

Claudia looked into Artie's eyes, but Artie was gone. All she saw was the sick madness of the Marquis, and she nodded her head, a single tear streaming down her face. Artie gently wiped the moisture away and whispered, "That's good, because you should be."

Artie pulled away from Claudia and stepped behind her. Her trembling stopped after a few minutes, but her fear came roaring back when she felt Artie gently stroking her back with the tip of the whip. She shook as he lightly trailed kisses down her back, his whiskers tickling her. When he had made her skin as sensitive as he could, he stepped back and raised his arm. For a moment Artie struggled, his arm not wanting to come down. Claudia's fear bloomed into terror when she heard Artie whisper, "Forgive me." With a cry of guilt and self-damnation, Artie struck Claudia with the Marquis's whip.

Claudia had expected it to be painful, but she had no idea it would feel like this. The whip cut into her back, leaving a trail of white-hot fiery pain in its wake. She cried out, the agony burning deeper until it scorched her very soul. The whip hit her again, slicing through her skin and wounding her very essence. Artie lashed her a third time, a fourth, a fifth, more, and with each strike Claudia felt herself fading away, her consciousness consumed by fire and torment.

"Artie, stop!"

When Artie whirled around and saw Leena, he lunged at her, his face a mask of rage and insanity. He got two steps towards her when she fired her Tesla, bluish lightning throwing him back against the wall. Artie slumped down to the floor, and when he got back up to attack Leena, she smiled.

"Uh uh. Not today, my friend." She reached for the large can of neutralizer she had brought from downstairs, took off the lid, and doused Artie with purple goo.

The effect was instantaneous. The room exploded in white light, knocking Artie and Leena back against separate walls. The whip jerked, and balls of white energy flew from its tip to rest in Claudia. The energy rushed to the leather cuffs, releasing them, and Claudia slumped against the pillow unconscious. Leena projected her awareness into Claudia, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she felt that Claudia's soul was back in one piece.

Artie stirred, moaning on the floor. Leena rushed over to him and helped him sit up. Artie opened his eyes, blinking away the neutralizer that covered his lids. He looked at Leena, confused.

"See, Artie? I told you I could save you both."

Artie shook his head in puzzlement, and when he glanced over and saw Claudia, the weight of what he had done hit him. He stood up and hesitantly walked to her, retching at the sight of so much blood. He reached behind her head and gently untied her gag. When he raised her head to look at her, she jerked away from him.

"Claudia, baby, it's me. It's me, Artie," he whispered, stroking the side of her face. She looked up at him, and when she saw that it was Artie looking at her, the real and true Artie, her Artie, she gave him a weak smile. She licked her lips and croaked, "You okay, old man?"

Artie moaned and sunk to his knees. _After what I've done to you, I'll never be okay again_. He looked up at Claudia and shook his head. "Claudia, I-I don't even know what to say." He reached up to her but didn't touch her, feeling like a penitent worshiper seeking forgiveness. "Look what I've done..."

Her chin quivered, and tears began pouring down her face. "Just tell me that you love me, Artie. Please, just tell me that."

Artie looked down at his hands, remembering the feel of the whip as he struck her. Gazing back up at Claudia, he said, "With these hands, I nearly took your life. I'm not worthy of loving you."

Leena walked up to Artie and put a hand on his shoulder. She gently touched Claudia, avoiding the many cuts on her back. "I have a way to fix this." She reached into her pocket and brought out the little box she had taken from the shelf at the B&B.

When she handed the box to Artie, he saw an inscription on the bottom written in Greek. "Thee unto me," he translated, and looked up at Leena.

"Open it."

Artie removed the lid and took out a needle, long and cruel. He raised an eyebrow at Leena. "Is this what I think it is?"

Leena smiled sadly. "Yes, it's the Panacea Needle. Mrs. Frederic has me keep it at the Bed and Breakfast in case of emergency." She looked at Artie and asked, "Do you think you can take it?"

Artie slowly let out a breath and nodded grimly. "You've given me a shot at redemption," he said quietly, putting the needle back in the box and closing the lid. "For that, I can take anything."


	4. Chapter 4

Claudia cried out in pain as Artie and Leena unbound her and moved her from Artie's office to his bedroom. Leena gently laid Claudia across the covers, and Claudia sighed as the mattress conformed to her curves. "There's no way you will ever get me to believe this thing's not an artifact."

Leena gave Artie a smirk, and he coughed, embarrassed that he had finally been caught. "Well, um, you see, it is."

"Ha! I totally knew it. No mortal mattress could be this comfortable. Ow!" she yelled, Artie jostling the bed as he sat down beside her. "Easy geezer! My back is kinda hamburger right now." Claudia regretted her words the moment they were out of her mouth when Artie grimaced as if she'd slapped him. "Oh, Artie, I didn't...I didn't mean..." She sighed and held Artie's hand to her face. "I forgot I wasn't the only one hurt by an artifact."

Artie caressed her cheek, loving its soft warmth against his aged skin. "No, I deserved it," he said quietly, gazing at her with a mixture of love, regret, and endless guilt. "I'm responsible for this."

Claudia shook her head. "No, you're not, Artie. Leena wasn't responsible for what she did while under the influence of the Pearl, and it's the same with you." She leaned over towards Leena for support. "Tell him, Leena."

Leena gave Claudia a sad smile.. "No, what happened wasn't my fault, but that didn't erase the fact that I did what I did." When Claudia opened her mouth to protest, Leena raised her hand. "I had to make amends in my own way, Claudia. I had to make it right." She picked up the box and handed it to Artie. "The same way Artie has to make amends with you."

Artie opened the small box and took out the long needle. Claudia smiled when she saw Artie fall into lecture mode. "Claudia, this is the Panacea Needle, partly to blame for the fall of Athens at the hands of Sparta." Artie looked down and was pleasantly surprised to find that Claudia was actually listening to him. He smiled at her and continued. "When Spartan soldiers were wounded, they would call for a priestess of the Greek goddess Panacea. She would come with her needle and sew him up. When she was done stitching he was good as new and would continue fighting."

Claudia gave him a sideways glance. "Women always got the short end of the stick back then. What was the catch?"

"The catch," Leena said, "was that the solder's wounds were transferred from his body to hers. She would chant, 'thee unto me' while she stitched, and when she was done, she was hurt but a fully healed solder would arise to fight again."

Claudia was fascinated. "So, was there a priestess for each soldier or something? I mean, one person can't heal an army."

"Yes she could," Artie answered. "She would take the wound from every soldier on the battlefield. Unfortunately, when the fight was over, so was she."

Claudia looked back and forth between Artie and Leena. "What does that mean?"

Leena put her hand on Claudia's. "She took every soldier's wounds, including the fatal ones."

"You mean she _died_?" Claudia asked incredulously.

Leena nodded. "The priestess of Panacea always died. For a long time it was thought that the act of using the needle was deadly to the wielder, but it was probably the fact that she took so many wounds."

"Probably? Ow!" Claudia cried as Artie jostled her on the bed. "I thought I said-" Her speech cut off when she saw that Artie was taking off his shirt. She looked at him sharply. "What are you doing?"

Artie sighed, scratching the gray hair on his chest. "You don't have near as many wounds as a Spartan soldier."

Claudia's eyes widened in shock. "You can't use the needle, Artie! Leena just said you would die!"

"No, she said I could die. Big difference."

Claudia shook her head. "No. No, I can't let you do this." She struggled to get up, cried out in pain, and laid back down "I can go to the hospital, Artie, and they'll fix me up!" She turned to Leena. "It'll take time, but I can heal up on my own." When Leena shook her head, Claudia pleaded, "Damn it, Artie, you don't have to do this!"

"Yes I do!" he roared, shocking Claudia into silence. Artie closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and looked down at Claudia. "Yes, I do." He held up his hands before Claudia could start to protest. "Claudia, I harmed the one person who means the most to me in all the world, and I have to make it right. You may have forgiven me," he said, his eyes brimming with tears, "but unless I make you whole, I will never forgive myself." After a pause, Claudia reached out, took his hand in hers, squeezed it once, and nodded.

"Don't you dare die on me, old man."

Leena stood up. "I will be in the office." She smiled at them mysteriously as she shut the door behind her. "I'll know if you need anything..."

Artie bent down to Claudia and kissed her, a tender meeting of tongues and lips. He drew back and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "Are you ready?"

Claudia nodded. "Whatever happens, Artie, remember that I love you."

"I love you too, Claudia, with all my heart." Artie picked up the Panacea Needle, held it close to his lips, and breathed, "Thee unto me." The artifact began to glow.


	5. Chapter 5

Artie positioned himself to the side of Claudia so that he could reach her entire back while she was laying down. He hesitated a moment, unsure of which gash to sew up first. He chose the one nearest him, a wicked cut on the back of her right shoulder. Artie gently touched the tip of the needle to Claudia's back, and she gasped with the odd sensation of her skin raising itself all along both sides of the gash. When Artie looked closer, he could see tiny holes form in the raised flaps, directly across from one another. He carefully slid the needle into one hole, bridged the wound, and then through the hole on the opposite side. When he pulled the needle out the other side, he was startled to see a thin golden thread attached to the end of the needle. Artie looked closely at the wound, and he could see that the same golden thread connected the two holes.

"Does it hurt?" Artie asked in an awed tone.

Claudia's responded in a dreamy voice. "No, not at all. I smell cookies..."

Artie gently completed another stitch. Claudia sighed and whispered, "Snickerdoodles."

He exhaled slowly, unaware that he had been holding his breath. He threaded the needle through her skin, whispering, "Thee unto me," over and over. "Are they good, Claudia?"

Artie could hear the smile in her voice. "Of course they are, silly," she answered slowly. "You made them."

Finishing the last stitch, Artie watched in fascination as the golden thread pulled itself tight, closing Claudia's wound. When the two flaps of skin were connected, Claudia gasped as a soft light, the same shade as the needle, radiated out from under her skin. When the glow faded, her injury was completely gone. Artie waited a moment to see what would happen to him, but nothing did. _Did I do something wrong? _

Claudia squirmed in discomfort, and when Artie looked closer he could see the reason. The skin on another of her cuts had raised itself the same way as the first, waiting to be sewn back together. He put his hand on her bottom for support and reached over to begin stitching. This cut was worse than the first one, and Claudia whimpered softly when the sides pulled together and another wound offered itself for sewing. "I'm all out of cookies..."

Artie stopped a moment to whisper in her ear. "I'll make you all the cookies you can eat." Claudia sighed and muttered, "You're the best, Artie," before falling asleep. Artie suspected the needle had put her under. The rest of the cuts he stitched were deeper than the first two, and her muscles and nerves spasmed as the golden thread repaired them.

It took him over an hour, but eventually Claudia's back was smooth and whole. As the last of the light faded beneath her skin, she stirred and woke up, blinking in confusion, and moved her tongue around inside her mouth. "Cookies?"

Artie pulled her to him, grateful beyond measure. "You're all fixed up, kiddo." Claudia raised up and kissed him solidly, her fingers running through his curls. He ran his hands over her smooth back and moaned into her mouth, "Leena is right outside the door, you know." Claudia grinned and wiggled her eyebrows at him. "I know."

Claudia leaned in to kiss him again, but Artie stopped her. "Claudia, wait." She grinned and rolled her eyes at him. "Artie, Leena knows when a bug burps in the next room. I think she's pretty aware of what's been going on."

Artie smiled. "You know, somehow I don't doubt that. But," he said, holding Claudia at arm's length, "that isn't why I stopped you. Don't forget-the artifact isn't done yet."

Claudia's face fell. "What? I thought it had already happened and you were fine!" Artie shook his head as his entire body began to tremble. "Claudia, I'm pretty far from fine..."

The air in Claudia's lungs seemed to turn to lead as she watched Artie lurch forward, his face a grimace of agony. He raised his head and looked her in the eye when the first gash erupted from his back. Howling with pain, Artie contorted as the second and third cuts split his skin open. Claudia reached out to him, holding Artie to her tightly, tears streaming down her face as an unseen whip lashed him cruelly, breaking his skin and tearing his flesh just as he had done her; blood poured down his back and pooled on the floor. As the last strike fell, Artie slumped onto Claudia, unconscious, and his bulk nearly tipped her over. She held onto him for dear life, his steady breath the only thing keeping her from screaming. Claudia rocked him slightly and wept, her voice coming out in heaving sobs. "You, didn't, have, to, do, this, Artie." She looked up when a soft hand touched her shoulder.

Leena gazed down at her with a sad smile. She picked up the Panacea Needle from the bed and put it back in its little box. "The needle isn't cruel, Claudia," she said, accurately picking up on Claudia's thought. "It lets the wielder heal."

Claudia fixed her with a vicious glare. "Tell that to all the priestesses who died on the battlefield," she spat.

Leena shook her head. "You don't understand. Those women weren't forced into healing. They felt they were doing a sacred duty, but it wasn't the needle that killed them."

Claudia looked at her in confusion. "But, earlier, you said..."

"It is true that they all died," Leena conceded, "but it was the overwhelming pain that killed them, not the wounds themselves." She put the box back in her pocket. "No one could have withstood the pain of a thousand wounded warriors, but if they somehow had, they would have found that the needle would have healed them as well." She smiled at Claudia.

Claudia's face lit up. "You mean that Artie's gonna be okay?"

Leena nodded, smiling at how Claudia's joy lit up the room in colors only she could see. "Artie's going to be fine, Claudia. All we have to do is wait."


	6. Chapter 6

Claudia had cleaned the blood from Artie's back, Leena had cleaned the blood from the floor so Artie wouldn't faint when he woke up, and they had both watched in fascination as golden thread appeared from nowhere and stitched Artie's wounds. He had asked Claudia to stay with him that night, and they did nothing but sleep, Artie spooned around Claudia, holding her as tightly as he could without crushing her.

This went on for a month. Artie would yawn and fix her with a look that was hopeful, longing, and unsure, and Claudia would smile, nod, and follow him to his room. They would undress, get into bed, and he would spoon her, burying his face in her hair as they fell asleep. When Claudia would stir in the middle of the night, Artie awoke instantly, shifting his weight in order to make her more comfortable.

Artie had made no move to kiss her or make love to her, and Claudia's impatience and frustration were getting the best of her. She managed to corner him at the B&B after he had sent Pete and Myka to retrieve an artifact in Romania.

"Artie, we gotta talk, dude."

Artie closed his bag gently. Fixing her with a false smile, he said, "Is there something I can help you with, Claudia?"

She nodded her head. "Oh you bet there is."

Sensing that Claudia was truly upset, Artie's smile faltered. "What's going on, Claud?" He leaned forward, suddenly concerned. "What happened?"

Claudia snorted. "Nothing has happened, Artie. That's the problem."

For a moment Artie's brows furrowed in confusion, and then a look of dawning comprehension spread over his face. He grabbed his bag and walked towards the door. "I don't think we should discuss this right now."

Claudia stepped in front of him, blocking his exit. "See, I do." She put her hands on her hips and glared. "You've not laid a hand on me in a month, old man, and I want to know why."

Artie spread his arms in defense and played dumb. "What are you talking about? We've slept together every night."

"That's not what I mean and you know it."

Artie moved to step around Claudia, and she moved to block him. He moved to the other side, and she blocked him again. In a low, even tone, Artie said, "Claudia, let me pass."

Crossing her arms, Claudia shook her head. "Nope. Not until you tell me what the hell's going on."

She had expected him to either yell or blow her off, but she was entirely unprepared for his reaction. He pulled out a chair and slumped into hit, holding his head in his hands. He ran his fingers through his hair, and after a moment he said, "I'm afraid I'll hurt you."

Caught off guard, she stammered, "Uh, what?"

Just then Leena poked her head into the room. "You two should really take this discussion upstairs. Mrs. Frederic will be through here in a few minutes, and she won't be happy."

Artie pushed his glasses up on his nose, grateful for a change of subject. "Has she told you what's going to happen?"

Leena shook her head. "She doesn't know yet, but you two," she said, looking from Artie to Claudia, "have told me that your issue will be resolved upstairs, so that's where I suggest you go."

Claudia was puzzled. "What do you mean, 'we told you?' We haven't even seen you all morning." When Leena simply stared, Claudia realized what she had meant. "Ah, the aura thingy, right." Leena smiled.

Artie sighed, resigned to his fate. "What else did we say?"

"That I should activate the soundproofing for Claudia's room and the energy dampeners for the building structure, which I have." Leena walked away, smirking.. "Apparently whatever you two are up to will cause quite a bang."

Claudia shot a sideways look at Artie to see him blushing furiously. He smiled and took Claudia's hand as he walked towards the stairs. "Let's go see what this is all about, shall we?"

Artie and Claudia sat side by side on Claudia's bed in an awkward silence. Artie was thumbing the catch on his bag and looking down at the floor. Claudia was looking at Artie, willing him to say something. Claudia cleared her throat when it became apparent that she would have to be the first to say something.

"Artie, what did you mean earlier, about hurting me?"

Artie looked up and gave her a rueful grin. "Getting right to the point, are we?"

She growled in frustration. "Telling me 'I'm afraid I'll hurt you' is bullshit. I want to know what's really going on!" Her bravado faltered as Artie glared at her. "I mean, are you trying to let me down easy or something? Do you not want to be with me anymore?"

Artie's jaw dropped. "My God, Claudia, how could you even think that?"

Claudia pulled back, defensive. "You wouldn't kiss me, touch me, anything! What else was I supposed to think?" She got up and turned to face Artie. His heart sank when he saw she was crying. "After the needle incident, you looked at me differently. I thought maybe seeing me reminded you of how much it hurt, so you didn't want to be with me anymore." She wiped her nose on her sleeve and shrugged. "I didn't have any info from you, so I had to fill in the blanks on my own."

Artie stood up and gathered her in his arms. "Claudia," he said fiercely, "I am so sorry I made you feel that way." After hugging her for a long moment, he pulled back so he could look her in the eyes. "I will always want to be with you." He gently tucked her pink streak of hair behind her right ear. "I love you, kiddo."

In a shaky voice, Claudia asked, "Then why won't you make love to me?"

He pulled her close to him in a desperate embrace. "Because I'm still under the effect of the Panacea Needle." He let go of Claudia and reached for his bag, pulling out a small knife. "I discovered it when I got a paper cut a few hours after it healed me." He put the knife to his wrist. "Observe."

Claudia jumped forward to stop him, but she was too late. Artie had pierced his skin with the knife and cut a deep slice into his arm. She froze when no blood came from the wound and watched breathlessly as golden thread whipped across the gash and sewed it shut. Artie's skin glowed for a moment and became whole, as if the cut had never been made. "This is why I am afraid I will hurt you."

Claudia was baffled. "What on earth does that have to do with sex?"

Artie shifted, still slightly uncomfortable with Claudia's bluntness. "Well, you see, I would be-um, sort of..." He sighed with exasperation and decided to just spit it out. "During sex I would be penetrating you, and I don't know if my penis would act as a makeshift Needle."

"So, what, are you afraid you'll..." Claudia struggled to find a word that fit, failed, and made up her own. "stitch-fuck me or something? Is that it?"

"Well, ah, I wouldn't have put it quite that way, but, yes." Artie sighed now that the cat was finally out of the bag. His relief was short-lived, though. Claudia pulled back, her eyes wide with anger.

"And you took it up on yourself to decide this, without any input from me? Did you not consider, even for a moment, that I would have been open to trying it?" She stood in front of him. "Damn it, Artie, why didn't you tell me! I've just spent the last month walking on eggshells, waiting for you to finally tell me we were through!"

Claudia stepped back when Artie suddenly stood. "I was trying to protect you!" he yelled, startling Claudia into silence. "Do you have any idea what it was like knowing that I whipped you with an artifact?" He stepped towards her menacingly, his finger pointed at her chest. "If it wasn't for Leena, I would have killed you!"

Claudia finally understood that his anger wasn't aimed at her, it was aimed at himself. She gently put her hand to the side of his face, gently stroking his grey whiskers. "But you didn't," she whispered, her other hand coming up so that she held his face. "Artie, you didn't kill me. I'm okay."

She wanted to cry again when Artie fixed her with a desperate look. "I almost did, Claudia." He grabbed Claudia's hands and brought them to his lips, kissing her fingers. "You have no idea how much it hurts that I nearly killed the one I love most."

Claudia froze. "What did you just say?"

Artie stopped kissing her fingers. "Um, that I nearly killed the one I love most."

She shook her head. "No, right before that."

He thought a moment and said, "I said it hurts that I nearly killed you."

Claudia put her hands on Artie's shoulders in order to look him square in the eye. "I know why you're still under the effect of the needle."

Artie stared at her in wonder. "Why?"

"It was something Leena said the night you used it on me. She said that the Panacea Needle not only healed the person it was used on, it healed the person who was using it."

"So what does that have to do with what I just said?"

Claudia smiled in triumph. "Artie, if you're still hurting over what you did, or almost did, to me, it means that you aren't fully healed, which is why you're still under the effect of the needle."

Artie gaped at her. It was so simple. Why hadn't I seen it? "So how do you propose we heal me?" Moving too quickly for Artie to dodge her, Claudia put her arms around him and kissed him.

He was about to push her away when a sense of _rightness_ filled him. Artie groaned and kissed her back, his hands moving almost of their own accord to undress her. When Claudia was done helping him get her top and bra off, he helped her get his shirt off. He pulled her close to him and growled softly when he felt her nipples harden against the friction of his chest hair. Nuzzling her neck, he whispered in her ear, "I want you so much, Claudia."

Claudia led them back to her bed, both of them losing the rest of their clothes in the process. He loomed over her, kissing her neck, trailing his tongue down to her breasts. Each time Claudia gasped in pleasure, Artie was filled with the same sense of _rightness_, that in the cosmic plan of the universe he was right where he was supposed to be.

He squeezed Claudia's breasts and licked her nipples in long sweeping drags, the surface of his tongue doing marvelous things to her. He blew on her wet nipples, chilling them so that goosebumps erupted out all over her chest, and then he sucked each one in turn, enveloping the sensitive tips in the warm heat of his mouth. "God that feels so good, Artie! Holy shit..." she panted, gasping and squirming under his rough hands. It had been a month since she had felt his touch, his heat, his weight upon her, and her body was hungry for it.

Before Claudia knew what was happening, Artie had slid down the bed and positioned himself between her legs. He attacked her moist head with his tongue, one solid lick from the bottom of her opening to the very tip of her clit, and she bucked in pleasure, squishing Artie's nose in the process. She opened her mouth to apologize, but the words never came out. All she could do was growl in ecstasy as he continued assaulting her folds with his tongue, licking and sucking her clit from its base to its tiny tip. Artie brought her to the edge of a huge orgasm, and with a primal scream Claudia felt herself explode into the heavens.

With each pulse of Claudia's flesh, with each drop of honey that fell on his tongue, Artie was more and more enveloped in his sense of _rightness_. Each time her core squeezed, he was less broken. When she came down from her high, he gently licked her sensitive flesh until a new climax began to build. He flicked his tongue against her heat, slipping in a thick finger to rub her from the inside and the outside at the same time. When Claudia cried out and came again, her core poured out honey, bathing Artie's tongue and hand in sweetness.

Artie pulled himself up and kissed Claudia deeply, his hardness becoming even harder when he realized she liked the taste of herself. He rubbed the tip of his shaft into her core, and when she nodded, he buried himself into her wet warmth in one smooth stroke, the _rightness_ nearly overwhelming him. Artie and Claudia moaned in pleasure as he began sawing in and out of her hot wetness. Claudia gasped as she felt a third orgasm building.

"Artie, oh yes, please, fuck me..." Baring her perfect teeth, she snarled and threw her head back, the cords in her neck standing out as she started coming, her nerves singing with orgasmic fire. When she floated back down from her high, she was amazed to find that Artie hadn't come yet. In fact, he was still hard as iron.

"You gotta be kidding me," she panted in disbelief.

He grinned at her wickedly and began slowly thrusting back and forth again, adjusting his angle to strike all the inner spots he knew she loved. He plumbed her depths, feeling her out, and when Claudia moaned and shook as her orgasm began to build, he knew he was going to explode. She screamed in bliss as her inner walls began pulsing for a fourth time. Artie felt the tell-tale sensation that let him know he was about to come as his hips began thrusting of their own accord. Just before he went over the edge, the _rightness_ that had been with him ever since he kissed Claudia surrounded him, and as he roared out his own climax, firing his essence into Claudia, the _rightness_ collapsed into him, permeating every part of his being. Redemption flooded into him, and he fell down on the bed, utterly spent. Falling into exhausted sleep, neither of them saw the glow as it suffused Artie for just a moment and faded, taking the golden thread with it.

Downstairs, Leena smiled to herself. She was grateful for her gift of seeing at times like this, because the entire B&B was lit up with the most beautiful colors she had ever seen.


End file.
